1. Technical Field
The present invention generally pertains to motor vehicles. More particularly, the present invention pertains to an arrangement for mounting a spare tire and a license plate to a motor vehicle. More specifically, but without restriction to the particular embodiment and/or use which is shown and described for purposes of illustration, the present invention relates to a spare tire and license plate mounting arrangement for a motor vehicle which incorporates a license plate module that allows for an alternative method of permanently attaching a license plate to a spare tire carrier mounted to the gate.
2. Discussion
It is well known in the motor vehicle field to mount a spare tire to a rear panel. This spare tire mounting technique is commonly employed for sport utility vehicles and the like which do not have a conventional trunk for storage. By mounting the spare tire to the exterior surface of a rear gate, the interior of the vehicle is not encumbered by the tire. Additionally, access problems associated with mounting the spare tire to an underside of the frame are avoided.
Conventional mounting of a spare tire to the gate presents two concerns. First, the area for mounting of a license plate is effectively reduced. This concern becomes particularly problematic in view of today's global marketplace. In this regard, it is desirable that a motor vehicle accommodate all export license plate sizes and satisfy homologation requirements directed to license plate location and attachment to the vehicle. Secondly, a rear mounted spare tire may detract from vehicle styling. Thus, in addition to providing a suitable area for license plate mounting, it is also desirable to at least partially conceal the spare tire and thereby present an improved aesthetic appearance while permitting easy access to the spare tire.
One device addressing these concerns is generally disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/131,622, entitled "LICENSE PLATE CARRIER FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE," filed on Oct. 10, 1998 to Grabowski, et al. and assigned to the assignee of the present application and is hereby incorporated by reference. The '622 application generally provides an apparatus for mounting a license plate to a motor vehicle which attaches the license plate to a mounting portion pivotally interconnected to the motor vehicle. The pivotally interconnected mounting portion allows the license plate to be selectively moved to allow access to a spare tire. However, because of the structure of the pivotal interconnection, the mounting portion can impede access to the spare tire when it is in the open position. The present invention was developed in light of these drawbacks.